Abstract

The article discusses the connection between crisis and legitimacy in Menachem Begin’s political career and traces the process, which led to a far-reaching change in the identity of the Herut movement during the 1960s. Begin played a crucial role in removing barriers to this advancement, managing a number of issues by virtue of his leadership and special standing in his party. He succumbed to a number of deep crises and, to a large extent, also led his party into an equally deep abyss. At the same time, he learned the lessons from these crises and, from their depths to initiate the changes required to bring about political advancement. He uprooted old operative patterns that had worked against Herut’s political progression in the political system and introduced new ones that transformed its place in the party system and the public arena.

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